ALABASTER – Thompson High School held its annual Report Card Conferences for freshman on Thursday, Oct. 19.

During the conferences, each student was given a five to seven-minute session with a member of the community who acted as their mentor and discussed their grades and progress through the beginning of high school. The students will meet with their mentors throughout the year after each report card is sent home.

“They just got their first report cards,” Alabaster City Schools Interventionist Marsha Roach said. “The purpose of this is to connect students with a caring adult.”

Before the students met with their mentors, they filled out a worksheet to reflect on their academic strengths and weaknesses.

In addition to grades, Roach said the conferences helped students develop interview skills and prepare them for future programs, including a job interview day for seniors, at THS.

“It’s about helping our students get through high school,” Roach said.

Westwood Baptist Church student pastor and conference mentor Jarred Boyd said it was helpful for the students to have more adults they can count on as they navigate through high school.

“It’s a great way to serve our teenagers,” Boyd said. “They need extra adults in their lives.”

Alabaster Police Department officer John St. Pierre, who acted as a mentor, said he looks forward to seeing how the conferences have helped students learn and adjust to high school throughout their freshman year.

“It’s helping them to understand what they can improve on,” St. Pierre said. “We’re able to give them insight and advice. What’s great is that we can see how they’ve improved in the next nine weeks.”